Saturday, January 24, 2015

Magic's holiday ratings crush competitionSanta was very, very good to WMJX/Mgaic 106.7 this holiday season. The station's all-Christmas music format once again dominated Nielsen Audio's Holiday 2014 ratingsperiod in Boston averaging a 16.5 share of all audiences 6+. The station was also No. 1 with listeners 25-54 and 18-34.It was a massive jump for Magic over Holiday 2013 and Holiday 2012, when the station was tops with an 11.8 share both years. (Magic was also No. 1 in the December 2014 book -- as its Christmas format started back in mid-November BRW 11/21/14.)In fact, Magic's Holiday total tripled the totals of the No.2 station - WXKS 107.9/Kiss 108. The Top 40 outlet lagged far behind Magic and its nonstop offerings of Brenda Lee, Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey during the survey period from Dec. 4 to Dec.31Since 2008, Nielsen Audio(formerly Arbitron) has divided the year into 13 four-week ratings periods, one named for each month plus the year-end "holiday" segment. In the Holiday 2014 survey, WMJX not only won the overall crown, but also claimed every chunk of the day that Nielsen Audio measures individually: mornings, mid-days, afternoon drive, evenings, overnights and weekend.As always in the post-holiday run, the key challenge for WMJX in the current January survey(Jan.1-Jan.28) is getting holiday listeners to stick around after the stockings are stashed and the wreaths recycled. With a broad appeal of Christmas music, WMJX draws away listeners from stations of many other genres, as well as entices non-radio listeners. You could compare the effect of Christmas music listening to the legion of people watching the Super Bowl who pay no or very little attention to the NFL the rest of the year.BRW Notebook :My mind on my money and my money on mind : Boston Business Journal's sitdown with Howie Carrwho sees big doings in the immediate future for his 2-month old self-syndication effort.Deflating Seattle rock : Sorry Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, you're not getting any airtime in Boston, for two weeks. But, don't worry, it's not personal - it's sports.WBOS/Radio 92.9 this week has kicked off a "Seattle Free Zone" campaign", as the Patriots head into the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. But, win or lose, "Boston's Alternative Rock" says those great Seattle bands will return to its airwaves right after the big game.Talk Radio on TV : CNN host Michael Smerconish's novel "TALK" has been optioned for a television drama by Warner Bros., reportsPolitico. The site says that the book, the story of a conservative radio talker influencing a presidential election, will be turned into a one-hour drama series, targeted to air before the 2016 election. Smerconish's nationally syndicated show ran locally for three years on defunct Boston FM talker WTKK 96.9(now Hot 96.9).More digital, please : CBS Radio has launched Play.it, a new podcast network that brings together digital-exclusive programming from major brands and publishers, as well as content from CBS Radio shows on demand.Play.it offers more than 300 podcasts, including its local market stations personalities from WBZ 98.5/The Sports Hub, WBZ/News Radio 1030 and WODS/Amp 103.3 CBS Radio personalities such as WFAN-AM (660) and FM's (101.9); as well as content from leading news, lifestyle, sports and media brands including 48 Hours,60 Minutes, CBS Sports Radio, Vox, Deadspin, Simon & Schuster and Foursquare, among others.Podcasts are available to stream or download at Play.it and on mobile devices.